Russian filmmakers Anna Shishova-Bogolyubova and Dmitry Bogolyubov have spoken of their escape from Russia at the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The couple spoke to AFP media from Israel, where they have fled to safety in fear that they would be silenced or sought by the Russian authorities due to their anti-war and anti-Putin views. They have chosen Israel due to their Jewish ancestry and the fact that Israel gives citizenship and sanctuary to all people of Jewish descent.
Shishova-Bogolyubova told AFP that the pressure on the couple had been growing for years, particularly following films they created that showed the Putin regime in a negative light. She said:
"Over the past few years, we felt threatened. In the past few months in particular, people were spying on us and taking photographs on our film sets."
Speaking of Israel, she said:
"Here, we feel safe and we can sleep peacefully once more. My four-year-old daughter, who is diabetic, is completely taken care of. But we don't know if we will stay -- that depends on our work. Right now, we just want to live for the moment and recover from our emotions. Afterwards, we will see."
The couple are hardly alone, since the war began almost 2 months ago, 10,000 Russians have made their way to Israel and around 24,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war have also headed to the country. Most people of both groups already know people living in Israel itself.
Others who have made the journey from Russia to Israel include Moscow-born linguist Olga Romanova who told AFP:
"I always thought that one day I would join my children in Israel, but it was then that I realised that things were going wrong in Russia. [The invasion] was proof that I needed to leave as quickly as possible. The war in Ukraine is incompatible with my way of thinking and my moral values. It makes me sick."
The question will now be how many of these Ukrainians and Russians return to their native lands once the war in Ukraine ends. Many Russians will certainly feel incapable of returning home until the Putin regime has fallen and it is followed by a more democratic government.
[Based on reporting by: NDTV]
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